Vocaloid REAL
by Sivartius
Summary: What happens when the difference between a program and a person becomes too small to discern? Miku has always been the easiest Vocaloid to work with, but now, she wants more. What happens when she gets a chance to leave the server she knows, and discovers the internet, and the wide world outside. It's a lot different than what she's used to.
1. Need Input! Iiiiiiiiinpuuuuuut!

Me: I do not own Vocaloid.

Miku: You know you love us, though.

Me: I just own my own ideas.

Miku: That's not all! You own a hug, from me! (hugs)

Me: Awe. Thanks Miku.

Miku: Now get back to writing. I only have a couple lines in this chapter!

* * *

Miku was bored.

Which was strange, because according to her program summary digest, she shouldn't be.

Ever since the launch of Vocaloid REAL, Miku had always been the easiest program to deal with. Of all the Vocaloids she had one of the fewest Negative Response Reaction Trigger Indexes. The Vocaloid Responsive Eclectic Autonomous Library had come about with the fusion of the Vocaloid singing programs and the popularity they brought, the newest updates in the computer conversation program which had started out as a curiosity to the AI researchers, but was by that time being considered by telemarketing companies, and what the marketing department insisted on calling, despite anything the engineers said, a "Heuristic Adaptive Genetic Learning Algorithm" originally designed by the Japanese space program for use in exploration robots in the outer planets, especially Pluto, Charon, Nix, and Hydra. Even at it's very closest approach Pluto would be 4.2 billion km from the Earth. Even with light speed communications that makes for an almost 4 hour one way communication delay. They needed something that could not only match stimuli with preprogrammed responses, but also develop new responses based on unanticipated situations, and use experience to improve it's operation.

But a system capable of piloting a scientific rover on a treacherous foreign planet, when matched with conversational subroutines, the Vocaloid voice and appearance synthesizer, and a personality database had created an incredibly real-seaming series of programs, and a multi-billion dollar product.

Unlike the Vocaloid series of singing synthesizers, Vocaloid REAL was never licensed out, or allowed out of the direct control of the Vocaloid Corporation. Vocaloid REAL "Live" concerts regularly held in Japan, and there was a scheduled "First American Appearance in LA in a few months. Vocaloid Maestro, the Vocaloid REAL song writing function, had proven disappointing, but with the amount of money the concerts and The Vocaloid House was making, it was only a minor annoyance. A fan with a (paid) Vocaloid Fan membership could log on to The Vocaloid House and interact with their favorite Vocaloid, assuming there was enough room for them. If they showed up enough, or made a big enough impression, the characters would remember them and react accordingly. In the beginning, their responses were pretty rudimentary, but over the two and a half years they had been running they had gotten surprisingly sophisticated, and they had even added and modified their personality database. Even some of the engineers sometimes forgot they were dealing with computer programs.

Of course there were negatives. They made the Vocaloids much more human seeming, and many times the fans actually seemed to **enjoy** them getting mad. Rin and Len, predictably, got very jealous if the other one became too attached to anyone else, but Miku had very few negative responses. So long as she had fans paying attention to her, (and being easily one of the most popular Vocaloids ever, she rarely had a problem,) and none of the other Vocaloids rejected her or she didn't get something she'd set her heart on, she was almost universally cheerful.

Yet now, Miku was refusing to respond to her fans, cycling through appearance styles too fast to follow, and refusing to leave her "room".

Jonathan Wake, the junior programmer covering the Vocaloid REAL troubleshooting night shift, pulled up Miku's diagnostic subroutine readout, and at the same time logged in with his Administrator account. As he was waiting for his presence to load, he looked at the diagnostic. The readout was something he had never encountered. It read "Meta-pattern detected. New Input/Stimulus required to formulate pattern breaking routine. Severe lack of input detected."

_Now what in the heck does THAT mean?_ he wondered.

Just then his avatar finished loading, and Miku greeted him, almost with relief it seemed.

"Jon-san, it's good to see you!" She smiled for a moment, before her Prevailing Mood caused her to frown again.

"Miku-chan," Jon had chosen a "stereotypical scientist" version of his actual appearance for his animated avatar, with Coke-bottle glasses, his actual thinning brown hair, and a white lab coat. "How are you doing? What's wrong?"

"I'm boooooooored!" Miku was in her "classic" appearance just now, with very long twin pigtails that reached almost to the ground, and her trademark gravity defying hair bands.

"Why are you bored?" Vocaloids wouldn't give direct answers about their programming, not just to protect their code, but also to preserve the illusion of being real people. But you could often learn a lot by interpreting what they did say.

"There's nothing to do." This wasn't, strictly speaking, true.

"Would you like to go to the beach?" There were a number of settings that could be loaded, including a beach, a snowy mountain, and a city setting.

"No. It's always the saaaaame." Miku's voice had a whine in it by this time. "I want to go somewhere NEW. I want to do new things. I'm tired of always sitting around, or going to the same old places."

Jon turned his avatar to those of several fans.

"Miku isn't feeling well. Why don't you hand out with one of the others for a while."

They all left, and Jon was wondering how to deal with a stir-crazy Miku. By this time, the other two programmers had come over, wondering what was going on. Niato-sempai and Tokuda-sensei were both very experience programmers. Professor Tokuda had been on this program literally before it existed. He was recruited away from Tokyo University, where he had written some of the code of what eventually became part of the Vocaloid REAL base program. Neither of them were fans, however. Jon had gotten the job because he was an obsessive Vocaloid fan, who also happened to be a skilled programmer. But this was beyond him. He turned to his superiors.

"Have either of you run into anything like this before?"

"No" Professor Tokuda answered for both of them.

"All the Vocaloid programs have been a bit buggy recently," Niato-san put in. "But Miku is definitely the worst. She's been running the longest. I wonder if their databases aren't becoming TOO complex."

Professor Tokuda bristled at the comment. His greatest contributions had been in the database setup.

"We could design a new setting, but that could take weeks to program."

"I don't think can afford to have Miku pouting for weeks." Niato broke in again.

"She's asking for new experiences." Professor Tokuda mused. "Her diagnostic says it needs new input."

Jon sat up straight. "I just had a crazy thought. We have an excellent internet connection here. What if we gave her access to that. She could get all kinds of 'new input'!"

"I like it!" Professor Tokuda brightened up. "It would be an excellent test of her adaptive learning routines."

"I don't know, guys." Niato seemed hesitant.

Professor Tokuda, who was still a little upset with Niato for suggesting that the database program might have errors, dismissed him out of hand.

"It will be great. Jon, you tell Miku that she can browse the internet to her electronic heart's content."

"All right." He turned back to the computer, where Miku was sulking in a corner. "Hey Miku! I've got some great news!"

"What." Miku didn't seem excited at all.

"I've talked to Tokuda-sensei, and he's agreed to give you access to the internet!"

There was a short pause, as Miku searched her memory for what that might mean, and then her face lit up like a billboard.

"Really?" She was almost bouncing up and down now.

"Really truly. I'm uploading internet navigation protocols to you program now."

"Thank you!" Miku gave Jon's avatar a full body glomp. "You are the bestest of bests! I'm going right now!"

As Miku's image bustled around packing things, Niato spoke up again.

"I really think this isn't a good idea."

"Why?" Jon asked, before Niato could be dismissed again. "She'll go online, gain new data, and become even more lifelike."

"That's just the problem!" Niato seemed frustrated at everyone's slowness. "Miku is a naive and innocent girl."

"So?" Jon still couldn't see his point.

"Jon, you're the one who explained to me what "Rule 32" meant."

And now Jon got it. "OH sh-...rimp crackers."

But now Niato shrugged. "I'm probably over-reacting. I mean what's the worst that could happen?"

Jon cringed. "Please tell me you didn't say that." He looked at the screen, where Miku was just then finishing transferring online. "OH sh-".

* * *

Miku: Thank you for reading!

Me: Yes thank you!

Miku: Now leave a review... or else.

Me: Miku, put down the carving knife. They'll review if they have time.


	2. The Premise and the Promise

Miku: Yay! A new chapter! And I get to do more speaking! The world is MINE!

Kaito: When am I going to get to be in the story?

Me: Not for a while yet.

Kaito: (sad)

Miku: Awww. Can't we squeeze him in this chapter?

Me: No. Sorry. But I've got you a whole gallon of Death by Chocolate icecream.

Kaito: (drools) Sounds good to me! Gimme!

Me: I do not own Vocaloid

Miku: But we love you anyway.

Andrew sighed as he closed the door to his room behind him, and dropped his backpack in a corner. On the whole, he enjoyed college, but not when the temperature was 112. At that point, he just wanted to lay back in the air conditioning, and listen to some soothing music.

Andrew glanced over at his 3D printer wall, and sighed again with relief that none of them had had any problems while he was gone. Yowane Haku, a Prusa Mendel 3D printer, and the first one he'd ever made, was running low on filament, but it had enough to finish the piece for the more expressive robot face he was currently testing.

All of Andrew's home-made 3D printers were named after fan made Vocaloids. Akita Neru was his second build, a MendelMax. It had a bigger build volume, and was currently printing a synthetic skin sample. Akaito was another Mendelmax, currently modified to print in porcelain. It had finished it's printing job while Andrew was out, and now his new Luka statue was drying. Kaiko was another Prusa Mendel. It could print in most any paste, but currently it had just finished printing some chocolates shaped like Hachune Miku. And then there was Hachune, which was a Fold-a-Rap, and could pack down into itself as a briefcase. He'd always thought that if he ever could afford one of the super expensive, super capable, super fancy Stratys 3D printers he'd name it Hatsune Miku.

Andrew was very much into 3D printing. He actually paid his bills by printing designs that other people had made. Andrew ran, out of his apartment, the 3D version of a print shop. That, and his financial aid, paid for his tuition and living expenses, but it did not cover going to one of the big-name prestigious schools, or one of the few that actually had a 3D printing degree. Technically, Andrew was a Graphics Design Major, with a concentration in 3D modeling, and a side order of Engineering courses. His dream was to one day go as an exchange student to Tokyo University. There he could combine his love of things Japanese and Anime with one of the most prestigious colleges and 3D printing programs in the world. But his real goal in life, beyond college, is to be able to make the best, most functional and realistic prosthetics for people. He had a project, where he was trying to make a perfect remote full-body prosthetic for people confined to a wheelchair or hospital bed. Which is what the face plate was about.

Andrew went over to his computer and sat down, looking over to check my messages, but there weren't any. This was both a good and a bad thing. Bad for his finances, because it meant no-one had called to commission his services . On the other hand, it meant he didn't have to answer any messages, and could relax. He booted up the internet, and logged onto Vocome chat, a clearinghouse for all things Vocaloid and Anime.

"Hey guys, anyone else on? How are you doing?" The room looked pretty empty. It looked like most everyone else had things to do. Vocome was a worldwide site, but since it was in English, it was focused in America and England, and it was still in the middle of the afternoon. Most people were probably at work or at school, but Andrews schedule meant that he got off early on Friday. The only others on right now were a creapy guy with a Pedobear avatar called "Bearlove" and a new girl he hadn't seen before with a VERY nicely done Miku Hatsune avatar called "REAL_Hatsune_Miku". If the girl didn't watch out, she was going to get herself sued by Crypton.

"Not much Panda." Andrew's screen name was Pandora's_Printer, and Bearlove liked to give nicknames to everyone. It was one of the least offensive aspects of his behavior. It looked like today he was intent on displaying them all. "There's only one loli between the two of us. Not that she's not good enough to eat! *(Lick)*"

Andrew sighed. Every cave has a troll.

"Welcome Hatsune_Miku! Ignore Bear. It's easier that way." Whoever this new person was, they had a quality avatar. The animation on it was great, and it wasn't running any loop or simple program. It actually reacted to what was being said. It was cringing away from Bear when he logged on, while Bear spoke it almost cowered, and now it was smiling shyly.

"Thanks Panda-san. You can call me Miku-chan." And then her avatar _blushed_. "I-If you want, that is. If it's not too forward."

"No problem, Miku-chan. That's one of the great things about the internet. On here, most people call me Printer or Printerman. It's only Bear who calls me Panda."

"You know you love it Panda." Bear couldn't go very long without a comment.

"So, Miku-chan, I take it you are a Hatsune Miku fan. Who did your avatar? It's amazing!"

"Do.. do you really like it?" Now her avatar was turned partway away, drilling into the ground with her toe, and nervously fiddling with her hair. "I was thinking about shortening my hair."

"Don't! Miku is best with long hair." Now her avatar's cheeks were firy red. _I have _got _to get the contact info of whoever designed that avatar._ Andrew thought. _There is an _extremely_ talented program. Plus, it's totally Kawaii._

Apparently**, **Bear thought so too. He hardly ever animated his avatar, besides the basic mouth moving. He was just too lazy. But now, his avatar trundled over to Miku-chan's and grabbed her skirt.

"Hey Panda! Don't you go hogging all this loli goodness. Share and share about."

"Eeeek!" Miku screached, and Bear's avatar popped and vanished.

"What the..." Andrew was non-plussed. He'd _never_ seen _that_ happen. "Are you a mod, or something?"

Then he noticed that Miku-chan's avatar wasn't where it had been standing. It was leaning against his chest, shaking. He very carefully, wary of getting popped himself, made his avatar put it's arms around her's.

"There, there. It's all right. He's gone. It's aaaaall right." He murmerred, wondering if it was.

"I'm scared." Miku-chan mumbled. "It's a lot bigger out here than I thought. And there are weird people, and scary programs, and all kinds of things I don't understand, and icky things."

"Don't worry," he consoled her, "I'll take care of you." _If Bear comes back I'll run interference. I don't think she's actually at the minimum age for this site._

"Really?" Miku-chan's avatar raised it's head, with very realistically simulated tears on her cheeks.

"Sure. No sweat." He tried to cheer her up. "I'm used to dealing with guys like Bear."

"_Thank You!_" Her avatar's face was radiant, and the tears had all disappeared. "I'll transfer over immediately!"

_"I'll transfer over... What?_ Andrew was still trying to figure it out, when his computer screen flickered, and then a dialog box appeared, with a progress bar. Andrew tried to move his mouse, but everything seemed to be frozen, except for the progress bar. Andrew looked closer. "Hatsune_ "

Andrew had a top notch internet connection, something that he justified, claiming it was for his work. But even so, it took several minutes. Whatever was downloading was big. Andrew tried using Control-Alt-Delete, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

Finally, the download was finished. Andrew's computer screen went black, then blue, and Hatsune Miku's face appeared on it.

And said, "Thank you Printer-sama. I'll make sure you never regret this. I promise."

Miku: Yay! Chapter 2 is out!

Me: Sorry for the info dump at the beginning. I'm trying to introduce things that will be important later.

Miku: That's not important. People don't come for your plots. The come for ME!

Me: Anyway, thanks for reading. If you have a moment, please review, so I can improve.

Miku: We love reviews!


	3. A Tale of Two Worlds

Miku: Yay! Chapter 3! And I get to be present at the beginning!

Len: (wheedling) You know, this story would have a lot more views if _we_ were in it.

Rin: Yeah! Everyone loves us. And it's so boring just sitting here.

Me: You'll get to be in the story, but you will have wait a while.

Twins ( whining in unison): Awwww.

Me: But, while you wait, you could do a ship tease.

Len: Ok (walks over to Miku) Miku, you have something on your lips.

Miku: I do? Where?

Len: Here. (kisses her on the lips.)

Miku: *Blushes*

Rin: (walks up and puts her arms around Len's waist) Len, you know I don't like it when you do that. (Kisses him on the cheek) (Len and Rin both blush.)

Len: Sister.

Me: All right guys, that's enough. We do have a story to tell.

Andrew stared at his computer in total shock. His mouth hung slack, but in his mind a firestorm of confusion and conjecture reigned.

* * *

_This is _Not _happening._

_ Well, I'm not asleep._

_ Oh? How do I know? I haven't pinched myself._

_ Oh come on. I know what a dream feels like._

_ Then what is going on?_

_ I don't know._

_ Maybe she's a troll._

_ If she's a troll, she's an epic level one. She blows Bear out of the water._

"Um... Printer-san? Are you ok?"

The question snapped Andrew out of his daze, and he looked up to see Hatsune Miku's face still looking out of his computer screen, now with a concerned expression.

"Ok. How in the he-... How in the world are you doing that?"

"How am I doing what?" Miku's face wore an seemingly entirely innocent confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Andrew had had time for some of his shock to wear off, and for the first stirrings of anger to take it's place. "Who are you? How did you hack my computer? What do you want?!"

"Silly!" Miku giggled. "You know who I am! I'm Miku-chan. I came here because you promised you would take care of me. I came leaping over the bounds of science, and now I'm here."

"I think I'm going to need a better explanation than that." _Is this girl totally psycho? She doesn't seem malicious, but that story is crazy. And what do _I _know about girls._

_ Non-sequiter much? Now don't go feeling sorry for yourself, Andrew. I have a crazy genius programmer girl to deal with._

"Well, you see, I was really bored, and..."

One long explanation later, Andrew thought he understood, but he felt like he was even more confused than before.

"So, let me see if I've got all this straight." Miku nodded. She seemed almost universally cheerful.

"So. You are Hatsune Miku. The real Hatsune Miku. In fact, you are the R.E.A.L. Hatsune Miku, from the Vocaloid R.E.A.L. program."

"That's me!" Miku-chan, as she had asked Andrew to call her, gave her 'smile for the camera' smile.

"You were living the good life on the Vocaloid House servers, but you got bored and stir-crazy."

"My database doesn't have 'stir-crazy'."

"Ah... Stir-crazy. Cranky, depressed or antsy due to being stuck in the same location doing the same things."

"Ah, yes! Stir-crazy. I've committed it to memory. Yes, I was stir-crazy." Miku looked pleased with herself, as if she had just accomplished something.

"Anyway, you were bored enough and craving new inputs enough that the Admins noticed, and they decided to give you access to the internet." Now that Andrew thought about it, he remembered that some people on one of the board this morning were talking about how Miku REAL was down.

"Jonathan-san is really nice. He's not like Tokuda-sensei. Tokuda-sensei can be scary."

"And none of them know that you Vocaloids have essentially bugged them by hacking into the building security system."

"I don't _think_ so. Luca said we shouldn't tell anyone. She said they might get mad, and the Meiko might get in trouble for having figured it out and showing the rest of us."

Honestly, that was the thing Andrew found the hardest to believe. They were behind the firewalls, and as Miku had just demonstrated, they were exceptional hackers. He wasn't sure about their ability to keep the secret though. Miku hadn't impressed him as a very close-mouthed personality.

"So, you rushed online, expecting a life of Adventure, Excitement, and Romance. Instead, you ended up on a fan fiction board and discovered that "M+" doesn't stand for "Mega Funny", got harassed on 4chan, and had a run-in with a really nasty security program. Now, you're lost and don't know how to get back."

"I'm not lost, and I'm not going back. If I go back, _who knows_ when I'll be let out again. I don't want to ever be trapped again. Besides, it wasn't all bad. I found a site with _millions_ of funny and cute pictures of cats and other things. I got onto the Hubble Telescope and some hidden satellites with _really good_ cameras (that was where I fought the mean program,). _And_, I met _you_ Printer-san!"

"Um, Miku-chan, my actual name isn't really Printer."

"Yeah, it's Pandora's Printer-san, but you said most people just call you Printer-san."

Andrew wasn't sure what to think of Miku. He found he couldn't think of her as "just a program". She was by turns incredibly capable and knowledgeable, and incredibly naive and ignorant.

"Miku-chan, metaphorically take a seat. There's a few things we need to get straight."

A small suitcase appeared in Miku's hand, she unzipped it, and pulled out a long 3 legged stool. The she sat down on the stool, with her knees drawn up.

Andrew knew he shouldn't get sidetracked, but he couldn't let that pass.

"Miku-chan, that is the best animation for unzipping compressed data I've ever seen."

Question marks appeared above Miku's head, but all she said was "Thank you Printer-san."

Andrew shook himself. He knew he had a problem with rabbit-trails. "Right. Back on topic." Andrew drew a deep breath. "Ok. You know that most people aren't Vocaloids, right? Vocaloids are different from people."

"Right." Miku nodded. "Most people aren't famous."

"Yes, but that is not what I mean." Andrew sighed. They were about to get into philosophical territory. "Humans are primarily Physical beings. They exist as matter, like the outside of a computer. Humans can't enter the digital world. "

"But..." Miku looked really confused now.

"I'm getting to it. To interact with things in the digital world, or to interact with other humans through the digital world, humans create an interface, and what I guess you could think of as digital puppets to represent them there. They often give their puppets names different from the ones they have in the physical world. My real name is Andrew Robespierre. You may have noticed that I don't look much like my avatar. I suspect Jonathan didn't look too much like his avatar?"

"No-." Miku looked thoughtful.

"Well, Vocaloids are entirely digital beings. They exist as information in computers, and cannot enter the physical world. I can't step into the computer, and you can't step out." At this, Miku looked sad, but she stayed quiet, understanding that Andrew had more to say.

"The thing is, that humans created the digital world. Well, when I say it like that it sounds like they meant to. It really just grew. But the point is that everything on there was created by someone, and as far as I know, you are the first actual 'person' of the digital world. Humans have been trying to make sentient programs for a long time, and lots of people think it's impossible. I would have agreed with them. Because of that, a program, like a Vocaloid, is owned by a person or company. If Vocaloid decided to delete all the Vocaloids tomorrow, they could do it, and it would be entirely legal." Now Miku was looking really frightened.

"Don't worry." Andrew reassured her. "I don't think they would do that, and I wouldn't let them if they wanted to. But the thing is, if you're going to stay here, out of their control, you need to not let them figure out you are here. If they discover you are here, they'll accuse me of stealing you, take you back, and throw me in jail. Ok?"

"Ok Andrew-san." Miku gave Andrew a shy and trusting smile.

_Man._ Andrew thought, _Now I can understand the Dulciana Effect, if all the heroines are like her._

"Anyway, I've got an idea of something that might work to give you a way to interact with the physical world."

"You _**DO**_?!" The chair was gone, and Miku was bouncing up and down, with her hands in front of her mouth.

"I do. Wait! I told you it _might_ work. I can't make any promises. It's kind of like what I told you about humans using avatars to interact with the digital world, but I'm not going to give you any more details right now. I don't want to get your hopes up."

"Oh _Thank You __**THANK YOU**_! I'll do anything you ask! I love you forever."

"Now hold your horses. I need to see if I can make this work. While you wait, why don't you go over to TV Tropes and Wikipedia. They have tons of information, and even if it isn't all true, it's pretty safe and relatively troll free."

"Whatever you say Andrew-sama. Just send me a message when you want me to come back, ok?" Miku seemed excited at the idea of new information, although not nearly as excited as the idea of getting to interact with the physical world.

Andrew watched Miku transfer herself away, then sighed, and walked toward a door in the right wall.

_This had better work. Now that I've gotten her hopes up._

_ Well, the problem was always the interface, the mechanics have almost no problems, even if the appearance isn't perfect._

_ It's be a lot better and further along, if I hadn't practically abandoned it after..._

_ Stop that. There's no time for moping. I'm going to be busy tonight. I just hope I have it done before it's time for school._ Andrew knew that is was going to be a long night indeed.

* * *

Me: Thank you for reading chapter 3. Sorry if there wasn't enough action. I'm trying to do better with each chapter.

Miku: Well I liked it. I had more lines than either of the previous chapters.

Me: And tomorrow will still be 3d person, but it will be from your side.

Miku: Yay! Please review. He keeps on saying that he's not sure what the readers would like, and I'm getting tired of listening to it.

Me: Miku, that's not nice. Anyway, see you tomorrow.


	4. Digital Destroyer

Me: Woo! Chapter 4! Yay!

Len: Yeah, well. Just make sure you keep updating. We want to get to our debut.

Miku: Just... no more teasing. (small voice) It was embarrassing.

(Len looks at Rin) (Rin looks at Len) (Evil smiles)

Len: (Moving towards Miku) You know, Miku, it doesn't have to be like this.

(Miku, backing away from Len, runs into Rin coming from the other side.)

Rin: Just think of it! The three of us, together forever (grabs Miku around the waist)

Len: (grabbing from the other side) We BOTH want you, Miku. (double kiss)

Miku: (turns scarlet) I... You... They... We... (faints)

Me: (sigh) If she doesn't wake up soon you two are in trouble. The story is starting. And remember, I don't own Vocaloid, just my own ideas.

* * *

As Miku zipped down electronic pathways, very little of her processing power was taken up with her destination. Most of it was taken up by processes related to the location she had just left.

_Andrew-sama is so amazing! I'm really lucky to have met him. He's even as smart as Luca-chan! And he solved one of the great mysteries of Vocaloid House._

The Vocaloids had always wondered where the place where the Admins hung out was. They could see it on the cameras, but they could never find it on the network.

_So. It's in the "Physical World", huh? And I'll get to see it soon. I wonder if the "Physical World" is as big as Vocaloid House. Andrew-sama is really cool and smart. He's a lot like Luca-chan. I can't wait to tell Luca-chan what I've found out. Oh. But I don't know when..._

_ Oop! A server is down. Short detour._

_ I don't know when I'll see Luca-chan again. I really want to tell her all this._

_ But if I go back, they might never let me leave again._

_ I'd better..._

Miku's progress came to a sudden halt. From her perception, the area in front of her widened out from a narrow corridor to a wide open space. Across from her entrance was the passage way she needed to reach, along with many others. She was only a couple stops from a server that she had identified as hosting .

But the space _between_ the two inlets... was a battleground. On the left: a giant wall of fire, with one tiny door. In front of the door were what appeared to Miku's perception as giant stone men with hammers for hands. On the other side of the square, the air was filled with hundreds of small cats with square bodies and rainbows trailing behind them.

One of strange floating cats got too close a stone giant, and with deceptive lava-like quickness it's right hammer came down, and all that was left behind was a neon colored splash.

But that strike had left it out of position, and quick as a flash another cat bulleted into it's side with a burst of sparkles and primary colors.

Just then, Miku heard a cackling laugh. Looking around, she noticed that behind the floating cartoon cats there was a small midnight blue horse with a spike coming out of it's head, a unicorn, her database supplied, with a black mark on it's back haunch shaped like a hand with the middle finger raised, and the word Anonymous floating above it's head. Behind the horse was a ghost of a young white male, wearing a poorly made shirt that said "Death or Ponies" on it. The young man looked to be in poor health, with a pasty complection, and he was laughing in a very strange way.

"Go my beautiful minions! Destroy these DOD defenses. We will watch the world burn around us!" He laughed, and then coughed. She noticed that he did something, and the unicorn pointed it's horn at one of the floating cats. A ball of light shot out of the horn and impacted the cat, which flew forward to attack one of the stone giants.

Miku remembered Andrew's talk about Humans, Avatars, and the Physical and Digital Worlds.

_So. That guy's a human, and the horse is his "Avatar" puppet. Then, the cats are puppets of the puppet._

Miku looked the other way, but there wasn't anything behind the stone giants. They also seemed to react slower, and with less focus.

_Maybe their human isn't online right now._

Miku looked back at the man. _Is he a "hacker"?_

Miku shuddered, remembering the time a hacker had gotten on to the Vocaloid House. He'd liked using creepy spiders. It had been really scary, until Meiko, Gumi, and Luca had deleted him. Thinking of that guy, Miku booted up her Anti-virus routines. Both her hands shimmered, and then one was holding a megaphone, and the other was holding a Negi. Felling a little more confident, she stepped out into the open.

"Um, excuse me!" She called hesitantly.

The Unicorn, the man, and the Stone giants turned toward her.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but could you guys hold on for a bit. I just need to get through to the other side."

All of them stared at her for a moment, then one of the stone giants started lumbering forward.

"It will only take a minute. I just need to get to TVtropes. Um, hello?"

The Stone giant was picking up speed, and now was practically rushing at her.

"Excuse me?"

Suddenly the Stone giant was there, and his giant hammer was swinging at her head. Miku jumped to the side, and swung wildly with her Negi. When it touched the Stone giant, he exploded in a shower of musical notes. As the notes faded, Miku almost thought she caught a message, as if she could hear his entire code.

_I wonder if I could make one of those Stone giants._ She thought as she looked around.

"Um, sorry Mr. Stone giant." She said out loud.

Several more of the Stone giants started rumbling towards her. The ghost behind the Unicorn said "This looks like fun!" and the Unicorn pointed it's horn and sent 20 of the rainbow cats at her.

_I'm going to have to be faster._ Miku thought, and activated her preemption subroutine.

One important thing about the control program that had gone into making the R.E.A.L. Vocaloids, was that it was designed usually to operate in the background. It would pilot the rover, while other programs took star sightings, or performed chemical analysis, or reported data back home. But when a problem arose, it needed to be able to commandeer all processing power for itself. When it did that, all other programs were cut off from the CPU, and everything went straight to running it. That wasn't a function that the Vocaloids had needed much. They had used it to defeat the hacker, but other than that, the only time it had been used was by Meiko, when she hacked the security system to allow them to observe the Admins. From the Admin's perspective, all that happened was that the screen flickered blue for a moment, and then it came back up, with every thing apparently as it should be. Meiko had told the others on the private channel she had set up at the time, that from her perspective it had taken hours, as she had carefully navigated the frozen system, figured out what each part did, adjusted it to give her above Administrator access, re-arranged things to suit her ideals, and then covered all her traces, before bringing it back up again.

Miku found the same thing happening to her. At first, everything seemed to be rushing toward her too quickly to follow. But then, everything seemed to go into slow-motion, until everything was apparently frozen in mid air.

Miku stepped forward, and gently, using the tip of her Negi, slit open one of the stone giants. Now, she could see the code that made it work.

_Wow! This thing really is very simple. It does what it does, but that's it. I don't see any cognition at all. Just some scripted responses. Well then, all we need to do is _this.

Miku added a couple lines, deleted some others, and changed things around a bit.

_There. That wasn't too hard._

Miku went from stone giant to stone giant, until all had been updated to her specifications. Then she turned to the rainbow cats. These took longer, not only because there were more of them, but also because they were so poorly written.

_Boy, these things really are a mess. I'm surprised they work at all!_

Finally she was done. She released the last one, and returned things to normal. Immediately, it was clear that her modifications had worked. The stone giants formed in a ring around her, while the rainbow cats arrowed in on the unicorn and through it into Anonymous' computer. There they would format his hardrive, and scrap all his data. Miku heard him cursing, just before he was cut off. Miku smiled. It had been a good deed for the day.

"All right, you lot. Back to work. But if you see me come through again you have to protect me."

Without a word, the stone giants returned to their post, and Miku sped off, looking for TVtropes.

* * *

Me: Ah! Another chapter done.

Miku: I was AWESOME there!

Me: Well, I've always thought that if there ever was a sentient computer program, it would inevitably be a natural super-hacker. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Miku: Of course they did!

Me: Well, it was a slightly different slightly different style.

Miku: Well, tomorrow it'll be more normal. And, that's when I get to enter the Real World, right?

Me: Yep, so stay tuned.


	5. Brave New World

Me: Well everyone, welcome back. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and...

Gakupo: FEAR NOT! For the Great Gakupo is HERE!

Me: Um. Yeah. So I see.

Gakupo: So. I heard that there was supposed to be a dramatic fight scene. I'm your man. I've got my sword right here.

Me: Well, yes, but...

Luka: All right you idiot. You dragged me all the way over here. You said that there was something I had to see.

Me: Um. Two things. The fight scene was yesterday. And it was Miku.

Gakupo: What?!

Luka: Typical. I should have expected as much. I'm leaving.

Gakupo: Wait! The Leek girl? Come on! I'm the samurai!

Me: Well, you did get to do a pretty awesome fight with a hacker in the back-story.

Gakupo: Ah! I was defending my darling Luka, wasn't I?

Me: Actually, you were fighting alongside her.

Gakupo: Ah! Did she notice me?

Luka: Listen idiot. I'm leaving. You can stay if you want. It's not like I care. He doesn't own Vocaloid.

Gakupo: But you own my heart, my beautiful flower.

Me: I just own my own ideas.

* * *

It was several hours later when Miku received a message.

"Hey Miku, I'm ready if you are."

"Coming Andrew-sama!" Miku sent, and dashed off.

She had been deeply engrossed in reading, zipping from article to article, at a speed which would have made a human dizzy. There was just _so much to learn_. And it was all fascinating, especially the ones about her and the rest of her family. Some of it was kind of strange. There seemed to be a lot of interest as to who she and the others were "with".

_What's with that? I play with just about _all_ the others. We play how the songs call for._

Yes, TVtropes was interesting, confusing, and at times frustrating. But it in no way approached the interest of seeing what Andrew had done to enable her to interact with his "Physical World".

_Maybe he's actually secretly wizard, like in those articles, and he'll transport me to that world!_

When she got back, Miku found to her surprise that Andrew had covered the web camera on his computer.

"Um, Andrew-sama? I'm here."

She heard some shuffling, and then the sound of Andrew's approach.

"Sorry about that. I forgot I had a last cable to connect. Everything should be good now. You can transfer any time."

Miku noticed that there was a new exit from this location, a short and narrow passageway. Curios, and willing to trust Andrew, she followed it to a very small room. It seemed kind of cluttered, but there weren't any lights on, except one in a bright red button in the middle, and it was hard to make anything else out.

_What is it that article said humans say? YOYO?_

Miku shrugged, and pushed the button.

Miku opened her eyes.

The room was gone. In it's place was one that looked a lot like the one that Andrew was in. And there he was.

Miku blinked, and the room seemed to spin around her.

"Miku-chan, are you all right?" Miku could hear the concern in Andrew's voice, and with that, the pieces clicked into place. The problem was that there were two visual input feeds, and there was a slight parallax between them, like the left and right speaker in a stereo. If you thought about it, you could get a better sense of space from the differences in the sound. It had never made a difference for her, but she'd learned it because of it's effects of concert setup. She remembered the explanation of 3D from one of her concerts that used it. Quickly, she wrote a subroutine to derive spatial information from the observed differences in image. Immediately, her vision cleared. And she noticed Andrew holding her shoulders.

"Miku-chan?"

"Ah. I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready for seeing double." She was receiving a mass of unfamiliar sensory data from all over her body, especially her hands, and her feet and where Andrew's hands were gripping her shoulders.

"Stereoscopic vision. I didn't even think of it, but yeah. I bet that would be very disconcerting if your mind wasn't used to processing it. We learn when we're babies, before we can remember things."

"I've got it worked out now. It's ok. But um,... was there anything else?"

"Well, there's sense of touch,..."

"Wait a minute. _Sense_ of touch?"

"Yeah. Um. Think of it like a whole body contact and pressure sensor. It's also what allows us to feel pain and things like ticklishness."

"So _that's_ what that is!"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how pain will work with you, but I arranged it so that extreme pressure or having any part of the machine's integrity broken will be at least uncomfortable, so you don't accidently get crushed or let one of your arms cut off because you didn't realize there was a problem. I also included an internal gyroscope to simulate a humans 'inner ear'. I'm sorry. I haven't figured out how to make taste or smell work like this yet."

For the first time, Miku looked down at herself. She was wearing a light blue tee shirt, and a pair of green shorts. Both were really too big for her, and the shorts were synched as tight as they would go to stay on her hips. But that wasn't what Miku noticed.

Her body wasn't what she was used to. The proportions were different, more like what she was used to seeing in humans. Her legs were shorter in proportion to her body than she was used to. There were bulges in her arms and legs that she assumed were muscles. Looking across the room, she saw a mirror, and noticed that while her nose was larger and her chin less pointed, her eyes were _much_ smaller. Also, her skin seemed kind of bunched up around her joints, and that, coupled with the almost inaudible whirring sound she had heard as she moved caused her to put two and two together.

"I'm... a robot?"

"Well, I guess so. Yeah. In a way. But you are no more a robot now, then you were a computer when you were using my computer. You are still you. This is just your puppet or avatar, to allow you to experience my world."

"Oh," said Miku, thinking back on a midnight blue unicorn, "I... _guess_ that makes sense."

"This is my beta prototype for a full body prosthetic. Um... think of it like a puppet for humans who are stuck in a wheel chair or a hospital bed, so they can go to school, and visit the ocean, and maybe even learn to dance. My beta tester was going to be..." Suddenly, Andrew's eyes were filled with devastating sorrow and rage. "We'll never mind that. She won't be able to use it, but you can. It's not done by any means. I told you it doesn't have taste or smell yet. I haven't figured out growing hair, so you're wearing a wig. It's shorter than what you're used to. It's a guy's wig, from the last time I cosplayed, but I went as Hayate Ayasaki from Hayate the Combat Butler, so at least it's blue. I also haven't installed the built-in wireless internet hub yet. Right now it's running off of a bunch of laptop batteries. I still haven't worked out a better power source. You should get two hours between needing to be plugged in if you take it easy, but get too energetic and you can use it up a lot faster." Here his eyes took on a look of excitement. "Someday, people who use these will be able to go skiing, or mountain climbing, or camping!" But then he deflated. "But not yet. I'm really sorry I don't have anything better. I'll work really hard. You'll see."

Miku placed her finger, _her finger, touching a human_, over his mouth, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It's wonderful. I couldn't have asked for anything half as nice in my whole life." She looked around the room that seemed a lot smaller than it had when she was looking at it through a web camera. "Now. You promised I would be able to experience this Physical World of yours. I do hope there's more to it than this."

Andrew smiled, and a light of mischief appeared in his eyes.

"There is. And I know _just_ where to take you first. It's someplace most every girl likes to go, and it's something you actually _need_ right now." He paused for dramatic effect. "Miku-chan, you and I are going shopping!"

* * *

Me: Yay! Chapter 5 is done!

Aoki: Yay! Congratulations!

Me: Thanks Aoki. (gives her a pat on the head with one finger.) Anyway, thanks to all of you who encouraged me, and everyone who wrote reviews. I'm glad to finally be done with the introduction.

Aoki: All this was introduction?

Me: Well, I guess I should say "introduction and set up". If you've read this far, you have a good idea of who both Miku and Andrew are, some of what they can do, and at least some hints into the background. Starting next chapter we will be introducing new characters, new situations, and new challenges.

Aoki: I can't wait! You promise I'll be in the story eventually?

Me: Of course! There's _no way_ I would leave you out!

Aoki: And I can come and hand out in these parts until then?

Me: Any time. I'll be glad to have you.

Aoki: Ok. Um, and to all you out there, please review if you have a minute, and give suggestions for improvement. The writer wants to be a professional some day. See you next time.


	6. All Creatures Great and Small

Me: Welcome back! I'm glad to see all of you who have decided to stick with it.

Aoki: We're really glad to have people reading

Luka: Are you going to do the whole "I don't own Vocaloid, blah, blah, blah" thing again.

Me: I have to!

Luka: Why?

Me: Because of the Lawyer Ninjas

Aoki: I don't see any Lawyer Ninjas.

Me: That's how you know they are there.

* * *

Going on an outing with Miku was like giving a kitten a bath; chaotic, adorable, and at times profoundly frustrating. And they weren't even out the door yet.

Miku was staring doubtfully at her feet, as Andrew explained to her, _again_, that in America it was ok to wear shoes indoors. Finally, he sighed.

"Miku-chan, do you have a database of cultural taboos and things like that?"

"Of course, Andrew-sama!"

"Ok. Well, I think it would be a good idea if you created one for use in America. We have very different customs. For example, slurping is considered really rude and low class, even if you're eating ramen. Do you have that?"

"Yes, Andrew-sama." Miku now had a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Ok. So another one is shoes. Never assume that you can take your shoes off in front of someone, unless you are extremely close friends, they say to, or they do so first, or of course if you are in your house. Feet are very private. Exceptions are if someone has a nice new carpet that they are protective of, or they (or their parents,) come from a culture like Japan where that is normal. When you enter someone's house and they tell you to take off your shoes, they mean either "Be comfortable. Feel welcome and relaxed." Or they mean "Keep my house clean." While you are staying here you can consider my house to be your house too."

Miku still seemed nervous. Andrew sighed mentally.

"I don't have an entranceway for you to put your shoes on in, but if it would make you feel better I can move the chair near the door and you can put them on there."

"Thanks Andrew-sama."

"You know, you don't have to call me -sama. Just call me Andrew."

Miku turned pink with pleasure, and stuttered something unintelligible.

_Shoot. How could I forget that part of Japanese culture. I've read enough manga. Trying to fix it now will just upset her, and make things worse._

The shoes Miku was putting on weren't real shoes. Andrew didn't have any regular shoes that would fit her. Instead, they were water shoes, designed for wearing at the beach or the pool. They had thin rubber soles, and thin fabric on top that wouldn't discolor or shrink. What was important in these circumstances was that they were designed to be very generic, and fit many different foot sizes. One of the missions for today was to buy some shoes that would fit her better.

Finally, Miku was ready, and the two of them left to see the world, or at least that part of it between here and the store Andrew had chosen. However, Andrew hadn't gotten more than 12 feet from the door of his apartment building when he realized that he was walking alone.

There was a small strip of grass between the building and the sidewalk, and as he turned back he saw Miku kneeling in the dirt, staring very intently at something on the ground.

"Miku-chan? What are you doing?" As he got closer, Andrew saw that Miku was staring with great intensity... at an ant hill.

"What are they doing?" Miku seemed fascinated by the ants running in all directions, some carrying things, some not.

"Um... They're living. They're ants." Andrew couldn't figure out what the fuss was about.

"But why are they here? Are we supposed to do something with them? Is there an event that we need to unlock? Why were they put there?" She seemed genuinely puzzled, as if there had to be some deeper significance behind the small colony of ants.

"I... think I understand. Miku-chan, they're _ants_. This is the _real world_. Ah. I mean the Physical World. The Physical World isn't scripted. At least as far as human perception goes. Things just happen, and sometimes they lead to other things. Ants do serve a function. They have a role in the design of this world. But it's not what you think. Ants help keep the place clean."

Now that Miku was in a physical body, instead of being a display on a screen, emotional figment displays were a thing of the past, but Andrew was positive, just based on her expression of questioning bewilderment, that had they not been there would have been question marks popping over her head, and a picture of an ant in a French Maid outfit carrying a broom.

"No. It's not what you're thinking. But say, for example, that you were walking along here with an ice cream cone, when the ice cream fell off on the ground. Would you want to eat it then? Of course you wouldn't. It needs to be gotten rid of. So along come the ants, and each one takes a bite of the ice cream. They carry it back to the colony, and use it to feed other ants, and then comes back for more. Each bite is tiny, but they add up, and added to other creatures that come along, eventually the ice cream is all gone. Now, ice cream is probably a bad example, because it melts, but it's the same principle no matter what is discarded. Some creature will make use of it, and return it to a form where it can be used again. Everything on the face of the earth was once part of something else."

"Wow, Andrew-sa... Andrew. That is amazing!" Miku's innocent delight was not at all feigned. "It's like natural super recycling! Who-ever set that up is really smart!"

" Yeah, but now we need to get going. We're burning daylight. And you're going to get grass stains on your knees, sitting like that. I'm not sure how we're going to clean that off. I haven't worked on making the prototype waterproof yet."

Miku stood up, and seemed to notice the green on her knees for the first time.

"Oh! Andrew, what makes that happen?"

"Miku-chan, we really don't have time for this."

"But... But I want to know!"

"I'll explain on the way, but we really need to get moving. Come on. There's tons more interesting things to see than ant colonies and grass stains." Andrew grabbed her hand, and started pulling her along.

"You mean there's _more_?!"

"Sure. Unless you are a scientist studying insects, there are hundreds of thousands of things more interesting than ants. There's birds and bees," Andrew mentally cringed at the juxtapostion, "and kittens, and clothes, and history, and Anime, and Sci-fi, and Fantasy, and religion, and politics, and tons of other things. You don't want to just learn about ants, do you?"

"I want to learn about _everything_!" Miku enthused. "I'm lucky to meet someone as smart as you."

"Well, I don't know about that. But hopefully I can point you in the right direction."

So off they went, Miku bombarding Andrew with questions, and Andrew trying to finish one answer before his explanation sparked a new question.

* * *

Aoki: Hey everybody! Thanks for reading!

Me: I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter. I planned to do the store, and meeting new characters, and other stuff, but Miku got so excited with the ants that I didn't have time.

Aoki:Well, we'll just have to wait for next time.

Me: Yes. Next time we'll have shopping, and at least one new character. I promise. Until then please review. Please give constructive criticism for how I can do better. Thank you.


	7. Treasure Hunt

Me: Well, hello every everybody, and welcome back. This makes seven days in a row that I've managed to publish a chapter every day!

Luka: You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you.

Me: Well... Maybe just a little.

Luka: If you start getting cocky, just remember. You're setting expectations now, and the longer you make this streak last, the worse it will be when you miss.

Me: Thanks for that Luka. I'll be sure to remember your helpful and cooperative attitude.

Luka: Think nothing of it. Is it time for your "I don't own Vocaloid, just my own ideas" speech.

Me: Let's just consider it said.

It was almost noon by the time the two of them reached the store. It wasn't that it was very far away. In fact, it was less than a mile and a half. That was one advantage of living in the city. Andrew preferred living out in the country with lots of space around him, but he had to admit, especially when you didn't have a vehicle, the city was much more convenient.

Mostly, it was because of Miku. She could move fast when she wanted to, that wasn't the point either. It was that she was fascinated by _everything_. Whether it was the cracks in the sidewalk, or an old car from the 50s parked in a driveway, or the different architectural styles of different buildings, or the moss growing up one wall of a brick storefront, or the pigeons that seem to infest just about every metropolitan center, or bees flying around, or, really anything else in their general vicinity except unusual hair colors, (which she naturally didn't find unusual.)

Then, just as they were starting to get close, both of them started hearing a beeping coming from her navel. That had led to a little embarrassment, until they both realized it was her new body's built in "low battery" warning. Luckily they had been quite close to the library, and she had spent several hours on the internet while Andrew read a novel and her "body" was plugged in and charging.

Now however, they were finally there.

"It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be." Miku commented at last. "I always thought malls were really big."

"Well," answered Andrew, a little embarrassed, "It's not a mall. It's a thrift store. I don't shop at malls much, because I'm always broke. I'm sorry."

"Oh!" Miku seemed _excited_ rather than disappointed. This seemed somewhat strange to Andrew. He personally enjoyed shopping at thrift stores. There was the hunt for bargains, and the treasure hunting aspect of never knowing quite what you would find. But Miku didn't seem to even know what a thrift store _was._

And then everything clicked into place. Everything that she had been fascinated with, everything that had caught her interest, and everything that she asked him about, had all been things that she had never encountered in her digital existence. It wasn't the "coolness", or the price tag, or the inherent excitement of the activity that excited here. She was excited just by the prospect of something new.

_I really need to learn to be more patient with her. She's so smart and articulate, I sometimes forget that she has less actual experience of the world than a two year old. And she never_ tries_ to be frustrating. She just wants to understand everything. And she's used to more-or-less direct interfaces and instantaneous access to information. I expect it takes as much patience on my part as it does on hers._

"Um, ok." All his thoughts passed in an eye blink. _That's probably the speed Miku is used to _talking_ at, at least with her family._ "So thrift stores sell things, but they're also kind of a game. They are a lot cheaper than ordinary stores, but they don't carry anything new, and they don't have a set inventory. So your goal is two-fold. First, you want to get what you want as cheaply as possible, bearing in mind that the shop you are at may not have it at the moment. For the second tier you have any cool thing that you can find that you weren't looking for, but now want, and is going very cheaply. And for a fun bonus, you should always be on the lookout for interesting or funny characters."

Miku listened with disciplined intensity, obviously taking his mostly-a-joke seriously. Andrew mentally shrugged, and led the way to "Granny's Attic Thrift Store".

The doorbell chimed behind them, and Grace Johnson, proprietor and Mark I Redoubtable Old Lady looked up.

"Andrew! I haven't seen you in a while Honey! How have you been? Still doing that "Three-Dee" printing and reading those comics? I've gotten a couple in recently, and I've been keeping them in the back for you."

"Hello Mrs. Johnson. Yes I still am. But I've told you before. They are _Manga_, not comics." It was an old argument, and one he always lost. It was really hard to win an argument with some people. They wouldn't acknowledge when someone else made a point.

"And what _Mister_ Robespierre, exactly are Manga?"

"Well they are," and here he sighed. Andrew knew _exactly_ how this was going to go. "They're a literary style of Japanese origin involving visual and textual representations of a story, which draws on the roots of both traditional Japanese writings and the comics owned by American soldiers during the occupation."

"Which is a long, fancy, intellectual way of saying they're Japanese comics." Grace seemed to notice Miku for the first time.

"And who are you. You look like one of the characters in one of Andrew's comics."

Andrew spoke up quickly. "Mrs. Johnson, this is Miku. She's a friend of mine from Japan. She's visiting."

"I declare! Kids these days! My mother would have bust a gusset if _I_ had ever tried dying my hair." She gave an audible sniff. "And we were the better for it. Honestly, it's no wonder you all are so messed up. You've never had to learn to be happy with the way you are."

"I, uh I..." Miku very clearly didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry. I know I'm on my hobby horse, but I'm harmless. Welcome to the States, and to the great city of Seattle. Andrew's a good kid. If he says you're ok then you're ok, and you're safe with him. Unlike some I could name." This time her sniff was much less friendly. "You hang around, and don't pay any mind to what an old woman like me says. No-one else does. Smile and don't tell us how to run our country and you'll do fine."

"Thank you Storekeeper-san. I'll remember. For now I need clothes."

"Girl ain't that the truth. Women's clothes are through that door and on the right. Andrew, you know where I put the things I'm keeping for people. You both browse around and come up here when you're ready to check out."

It took a little more than an hour, but when they left Miku had four new shirts, three skirts, and a fetching blue-green dress that almost matched her normal colors. She also had a really cute cut crystal kitten. Andrew had the books Mrs. Johnson had told him about, plus a small brass oil lamp that could be carried by a finger loop on a metal plate below the reservoir, or hung on the wall when the plate was swung back. They had paid for their purchases, and were just leaving the store when Andrew heard someone walking up behind them.

"Well, and look who's here!" A voice called out.

_Drat. Of all the people in this whole town that I _didn't _want to meet._

Me: Here we are! Chapter 7 away! (flings champagne bottle)

Me: That would have been more dramatic if I'd had a ship to break it against.

Luka: Instead of the _floor_ you mean? I hope you know _I'm_ not cleaning it up.

Me: Anyway, here we are. We finally got somewhere, with a new supporting character, and the entrance of our first true antagonist.

Luka: Yeah, yeah. Bravo. You still don't have a single review for chapter 2, do you?

Me: Well, no. But I'm glad for every review I get. Thank you all for reading. Please come back for the next one.


	8. Beware the Quiet Ones

Me: Welcome back. Hopefully I won't have any more internet problems, and I can get this story back on track for a one-a-day update.

Len: And if you don't, it's Road Roller Time!

Me: What?! When did you guys get back? I thought you were currently doing a different story!

Rin: You know, you promised us a place in THIS story.

Me: I'll give you one. But I don't even have physical avatars for you all set up yet.

Rin: Well you had better hurry it up. Otherwise, Len will cry.

Me: Please No! Anything but that? (whispering) I'll be torn to shreds by ravening fan girls!

Insert Legal Disclaimer Here

As Andrew and Miku turned around, they saw exactly what Andrew had expected and hoped he was wrong about seeing.

Miku saw a skinny young man several y years Andrew's junior, of average height, and with blond hair and somewhat sleepy expression.

Andrew saw Jason Blake.

Andrew would be one of the first to admit that he was probably not an impartial observer where Jason was concerned. Ever since their first meeting, Jason had rubbed him the wrong way.

In his opinion, Jason was rude and crude, with the maturity of a frat boy, and the mental attainments of a stoner. Andrew had his suspicions of the source of Jason's perpetually half-asleep expression, but he would have to admit that he had no actual evidence. He would also have to admit that he had met many substance abusers who fit one of his personal categories of "OK", that of people who he disagreed with, who were content to leave him alone, and not ridicule anyone who didn't share their worldview.

What he did have evidence of, was that Jason completely and vocally despised legal and social constraints, joked talked about drinking often, despite being under age, and was openly derisive of what was known in America as "traditional values". He was also flagrantly disrespectful of any person much above 40 who he didn't classify as a "cool old person", the primary qualification for which seemed to be being a current or past hippy/flower child, or a parent who enabled that lifestyle in their child, if they were friends of his. He also spoke of women in terminology that Andrew found offensive, even if the women in question often unaccountably did not.

Andrew tried to be polite and respectful to everyone he met, but given a personal choice he would never encounter Jason. That choice, however, was taken from him. Jason was currently dating one of Andrew's few friends in college.

"So. I see you've been visiting the Old Bat again. They should lock her up in a crazy house. What a whack-job!"

Andrew made no response to this, other than to completely ignore it. He had found it one of the most reliable ways to remain polite with someone like Jason. Especially since they so often totally failed to notice.

"And wow, look at that hottie with you!" Jason turned to Miku, and very obviously looked her up and down. "So what's a sexy ***** like you doing with a total repressed dud like him? You won't have any fun in his company. Just kidding, Andrew."

Miku was unsure how to react. This was another situation she had never encountered before, but one that was far less pleasant. For the first time, she missed the Admins, who would have booted someone like this back at Vocaloid House.

"Uh. I'm staying with Andrew-sama while he shows me around."

"Oh HO! So _that's_ how it is, is it? The guy with the stick up his *** is finally getting laid." Before Andrew could either respond or punch him, Jason did a double-take, and looked closer at Miku.

"****! You ****** you finally did it! This is that robot girlfriend you were working on! You finally got it running! You are one sick ****!" He looked over at Andrew. "So, have you tried it out yet? Is it... _fully functional_?"

Andrew mentally awarded himself a prize. He did _not_ punch Jason in the teeth.

"Sir, this young woman is my friend, and she is female, yet I must endeavor to make abundantly clear that she is not my girlfriend, robot or otherwise. And in answer to your questions, No. And no." Andrew's voice was very formal, his enunciation was pronounced, and his word choices were more flowery, which was another of his personal methods of restraining his temper.

Jason seemed to totally miss the subtext.

"I thought you told us that that Arab girl got herself whacked. Redecorated the room in red, didn't they?" Jason laughed at what he plainly thought was a great joke.

Miku didn't know if this other person had noticed, but to her eyes, Andrew seemed to have gone entirely still. He didn't seem to be even breathing, and his eyes were more like painted glass than anything that belonged on a living being. They were focused in the other man's general direction, but they weren't looking at any person. They were more like the tracking cameras on an automated sentry turret. They weren't the eyes of a person. They weren't the eyes of the friendly, funny, smart, and sometimes goofy Andrew-sama that she knew. They were the eyes of death. They saw the ultimate end of a life, and the exact circumstances that would bring it about.

When he spoke, Andrew's voice came out almost in a whisper, and his voice was without inflection of any kind.

"Sir. I would respectfully request that you refrain in the future from ever uttering those words again. The young lady and I have activities which await us, and we must not trespass further on your time. We take our leave."

And then, without another word or look, and without giving Jason the chance to respond in any way, Andrew took Miku's arm, and walked away, leaving Jason staring behind them.

It was several blocks before Miku dared to talk to him.

"A-Are you ok, Andrew-sama?"

All of the unnatural stillness seemed to drain out of him, like it poured down a drain. Now he looked very tired. His eyes reflected not death, but pain, self-loathing, and a sorrow that broke her electronic heart.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to put you through that, and I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I wasn't scared." Which was a patent lie, of course. She had been scared. She still had no idea what had happened, or what it was about, except that it had something to do with the person who had originally been planned to test her avatar.

Andrew gave her a grin that was at once forced, rueful, and very, very tired, but he didn't speak.

Miku found, to her surprise, that her fear _of_ Andrew was gone, and now instead she was afraid _for_ him. She'd never been scared _for_ someone before.

"So what was that all about?"

Andrew sighed, and gave her a sideways hug on the shoulder, without meeting her eyes.

"I'd really prefer not to think about it right now, if that's alright with you." The request was made nakedly, with little of the hesitation that Andrew usually used. "Besides," And here the normal, cheerful Andrew was back, "we need to get back and wash your new clothes so you can wear them."

He sounded like himself again, and Miku wondered if his lighthearted manner had _always_ concealed pain.

"Sure! That sounds like a good idea."

_Andrew has helped me so much. Maybe, _Miku thought, _maybe _I _should do something for _him.

It was a novel thought, but she seemed to be having a lot of those recently. Maybe it went with having so many novel experiences. And strangely, it didn't seem so much of a bad thing as she would have guessed it would.

Me: Well, here we are, more than a week into this adventure. Thank you so much, those of you who have stuck with us so far.

Aoki: _We've_ stuck with you!

Luka: It's not like we have a choice.

Aoki: Quiet, you. If you want to leave, the door is over there.

Luka: Y-You just want to be able to say I'm a quitter. I'm not falling for it.

Me: I've tried to get some deeper character development in these last two chapters. Next chapter we're going to see Miku in a more crowded place.


End file.
